The US Midterm Elections in the Light of the Tea Party

Since the midterm elections which have recently been on the agenda of the United States political life and were promising numerous on-coming changes, it is reasonable to consider the facts which have influenced the result of the elections.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on The US Midterm Elections in the Light of the Tea Party specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The influence of the Tea Party which was supporting the Republicans throughout the elections caused the victory of the latter and their obtaining the majority in the House of Representatives. There are certain reasons fro such influence of the Tea Party in the American Parliament, which is going to be the issue of the given research work. However, it cannot be denied that the changes in the mood of the society could be traced and the outcome of the elections could be predicted with more or less strong certainty. The growing influence of the Republicans co uld not be passed unnoticed, for they were persistent in their attempts to change the existing state of affairs. Amos (2010) claims that By the end of January 2010, the mood had undergone a complete reversal. It was the liberal/socialist in complete disarray. This happened not because of Republican leadership but, it could be argued, as a direct result of Republican hierarchy being in shambles. The people demanded to be heard. Grassroots organizations, led by the Tea Party patriots, would not be silenced and would not allow politicians, or either party, to diminish our inalienable rights or destroy the Constitution of the United States. (p. 80) Regarding the growing influence of the Tea Party movement in the United States, the results of the Midterm elections which have been recently held could be predicted with considerable certainty, since the moods in the government showed clearly that the president and the parliament were aimed at restoring their influence and the reinforcement of the economical position of the country in the world market, as well as strengthening the position of the country in the world politics. To clarify the issues of the political situation in the United States, it must be explained what a Tea Party is. Since hardly anyone can explain the reasons for the political movement better than its representatives, it would be better to address one of the members of the party to have a better understanding of the subject. Amos (2010) explains the ideas and the views of a Tea Party in the following manner: People who are superficially aware of The Tea Party Patriots, think that we are only â€Å"anti-Obama administration†. No one can pretend to speak for all of the numerous Tea Party groups around the nation, let alone our (15 million or so) members. But the following is fundamental to all of us. We believe in fiscal responsibility, limited government, free markets, respect for our Constitution and the Bill of Rights and a government that answers to the people. (81)Advertising Looking for term paper on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Such statement can mean only that the Tea Party aims at changing Barak Obama’s policy according to their own understanding of the home policy. Aiming at changing the current policy pursued by Obama, the new movement proved to be bordering with extremism, which cannot be used as a good mark for the Tea Party movement. However, in spite of the explicit extremism moves which were undertaken by the Tea Party, it still maintains a good reputation with the population of the United States and its authority does not seem to diminish. Since the conflict in the government of the United States became even more tense and complicated, there was another party created by the conservative part of the American society who were not willing to change the structure of the government so that more than two parties could be represente d in the parliament. However hard the two parties could oppose each other, sooner or later they will have to face the changes which the government is going to adopt. Whenever the Democrats or the Republicans are going to take their toll on the politics of the United States, there is no doubt that the changes applied will be of crucial importance. And it turned out, the population of the state preferred solid and profound position of the Republicans to the half-baked reasoning of the Democrats. Even with the accusations of racism sounded by Hanks in his project â€Å"The Pacific† (Amos 2010, 91), the Tea Party members managed to maintain that same high level of influence on the population and the government, for the Republicans to win the midterm elections. It could have been that without the support of the Tea Party, the Republicans could have lost the elections to the Democrats. Although the latter did not legitimate the expectations of the parliament and the voters, the pop ulation still could not trust the Republicans and their ideas of the policy that should be conducted. The members of the party were enjoying growing popularity with the citizens of the country. The abovementioned changed the political prognoses in favor of the Tea Party and the ideas which it was promoting, thus, making the way for the Republicans to gain the majority in the parliament. The alternative to the existing foreign and home policy which was spoken about is supposed to come after the midterm elections of 2010. It must be born in mind that the midterm elections should be held to meet the needs which emerge when the new strategy was adopted. Thus, since the USA has been influenced by the unfolding movement of the Tea Party, it was subjected to the necessity to consider the situation from the point of view of the Tea Party and the solutions which it suggests. Different opinions resulted in parliament split, and the Congress was divided in two opposing parts. The situation cou ld not but have its impact on the Midterm Elections as well, and the considerable strain which had been brewing for several months in the governmental sphere finally erupted with the midterm election results in 2010.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on The US Midterm Elections in the Light of the Tea Party specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It was assumed before that the midterm elections could result in the non-beneficial way for the United States. The tension which was growing between the opposing forces was supposed to bring the both parties down since the situation came to the boiling point. The Democrats were highly unlikable to obtain the necessary number of votes to represent the parliament. Their struggle was doomed to fail, even if the Tea Party had never started. Having lost the trust of the voters once, they would not have been able to prove their right and gain the majority of voices to join the Parli ament. The tension between the parties resulted in certain problems in holding the midterm elections 2010. As the President’s party, they will obviously face misunderstanding and will not be considered as the optimal candidates to vote for. It was suggested by Adkins that the midterm elections could be harder to hold than they usually do: Colorado’s 4th District is surely near the top of the list of districts that Republicans will be seeking to take back in the 2010 midterm elections. Democrats are liable to face a difficult midterm election nationwide, as the president’s party often does, and the district’s conservative stripes will likely make this a difficult district for the Democrats to defend. (106) The actual result of the midterm elections left much to be desired, since it has shown a sever decline in the economical system of the country and the means of solving economical problems completely out of date and proving to be the worst one throughout the last few decades. (Watts 2010). The decline can be considered the result of the Tea Party influence, which lowered the Democrats’ standing among the voters and led to the crushing defeat of the Democrats in the struggle for the influence in the Parliament. Unless the Tea Party had not interfered in the elections and the political business, the results of the elections could have been absolutely different. Since the Republicans were not taken as a substitute for the Democrats’ ruling, the outcome of the elections could have been different if the Tea Party had not used its growing authority. Such sad results seem to bring the USA back to the critical state of economical depression which the country already suffered, and the external economical reasons for the U. S. to come to another structure of economical policy evident yet extremely undesirable. As Hirsch (2009) claims,Advertising Looking for term paper on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Tenth years have the worst record within the Decennial Cycle and 2010 is a midterm election year, which has the second worst record of the 4-year presidential election cycle. (129) However, there are the assumptions that the situation is gradually improving due to the actions which were undertaken by the government. The report on the midterm elections has also testified it. It cannot be predicted with certainty that the improvements are going to take place in the on-coming year, but there have been sufficient evidences to hope for the changes. This is what Hirsch also predicts, regarding the statistics of the past few years: However, the 53,8% Dow Jones industrials bear market decline at press time indicates that the piper has been paid. Prospects for a positive 2010, the first positive tenth year since 1980 are improving. (129) Taking the abovementioned into account, one can claim that the economical situation started to regain stability, owing to the Tea Party and its influence on the political system of the USA. It was claimed that the importance of the decision taken during the midterm elections on November 2, 2010 could not be doubted and that it would mark the course of actions of the economical policy for the next several decades. With the Tea Party influence, the victory if the Republicans could be predicted easily. Since the course of actions of the parliament from this time on will depend on the policy of the Republicans, the state is not going to emulate the economic models which are suggested by other countries, thus keeping the democracy principles instead of adopting the ones that are foreign to the American traditions and political life. The new step undertaken by the government will have the effect on the economics without involving the foreign methods to obtain the desirable result. The United States are determined to keep to their line of conduct regardless of the difficulties that they can face. It must be well noted that the continuous deba tes which have been held on the topic of either adopting the new model of economical behavior or its rejection did not favor the complicated situation in the government. The supporters of the new ideas presented a well-supported argument against the methods which were applied by the government, and the state was split in two parties, which would not agree upon a compromising decision. It is necessary to take into consideration that such conflicts have been encountered not once and that it has been not once that an elaborated political strategy was ejected because of the false assumptions and the predictions based on the unverified information. Thus, it is important to keep in mind that the Federal Government was to face the States’ Rights in a heated debate concerning the nation’s profit and the directions in which the further political steps should be made. With the urge to satisfy the needs of the nation, the Fed was opposing the States’ Rights to eliminate fi nancial instability within the country. Since both sides were mostly preoccupied with the influence which they had on the nation and the subject of their argument was the level of influence which each of them was supposed to share, it could be easily predicted that such debates would not lead anywhere. Trying to reconcile the opponents, Vile (2010) suggests the following interpretation of the political events which took place: Many had, of course, left because of business and personal reasons rather than because they disagreed with the way that proceedings were going. Of those who remained, however, Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts, and Edmund Rudolph and George Mason of Virginia refused to sign. Their concerns about states’ rights and the absence of a bill of rights helped fuel the debate that followed as citizens decided whether to accept this new character of government. (111) With such approach, it becomes clear that the debates as for the economical and personal interests bordering with each other had been boiling up for long time before it erupted as the elections of 2010 were held. The role of the governmental influence must not be diminished as well. Such heated were the debates that the result was suffered through a long track of misconception and arguments directed at the existing system of governing the country and managing the parliament affairs. Thus, the country has already seen the problems concerning misconceptions within the country, which must have influenced the outcome of the elections in 2010. In spite of the fact that the government of the USA knows well the price for the wrong step made in the sphere of politics, the aggravation that might occur in case the USA adopted the policy of another states, the result would have been much more disadvantageous in terms of the international and home policy. It must be admitted that the decision taken by the government in November, 2010 was predetermined by the circumstances and was aimed at a chieving better life standards without sacrificing the national ideas to a dubious economic profit. Reflecting on the choice of the parliament during the midterm elections and the prevailing influence of the Tea Party whose arguments have been considered as the starting point for the future changes and economical reforms, the concept of the Constitution interpretation must be also taken into consideration. Since some of the politics tended to adhere to the strict interpretation of the Constitution, while the others tended to consider the Constitutional postulates taking the expansive interpretation as the starting point for their reasoning, the split was inevitable. As Shultz (2005) says, There are different philosophies and approaches to constitutional interpretation. Otherwise, an individual’s nomination and confirmation to the Supreme Court, especially during the 20th century, has been influenced by and concerned with hi or her judicial philosophy of constitutional interpr etation. One philosophy of constitutional interpretation is strict interpretation. A strict interpretation believes in an interpretation of the Constitution in narrow terms. (103) The split of interests caused stir in the parliament and led to the governmental split, which was not to take place again for the sake of the economical and political stability of the country. Since both parties were preoccupied with the division of powers over the nation, they could not focus on the problem which was crucial for the state and the nation: Justice Scalia claims that winning the conflict with secularists requires people of faith to reaffirm the religiosity that is at the soul of the Constitution. Victory also requires people of faith promoting a strict interpretation of the Constitution, where we would all have to accept, as Justice Scalia writes in Herrera v Collins (1993) that â€Å"there is no basis in text, tradition or even in contemporary practice for finding in the Constitution a rig ht to demand judicial consideration of newly discovered evidence of innocence brought forward after conviction†Ã¢â‚¬  (Rodriguez 2010, 98) Thus, the supporters of the strict reading of Constitution agreed upon the fact that, in order to avoid any misinterpretations of the Constitution, its interpretation should be strict and not be subdued to any subjective evaluations. The point on which the supporters of the strict reading of the Constitution elaborated was dictated by the desire to make the state economical and political system stronger and less influenced by the outer negative factors. However, there were also the people who preferred another point of view on the given problem and could not agree upon the strict reading of the Constitution. The advocates of the expansive interpretation of the Constitution argued upon the fact that the law must be turned into the solid piece of justice which their opponents were aiming to make it. On the contrary, the advocates of the exte nsive interpretation suggested that the Constitution must be flexible so that it could meet the needs of every single citizen of the United States. Employed by Brennan, expansive interpretation of the Constitution mean that the latter becomes â€Å"a tool for advancing civil rights and social justice† (Shultz 2005, 53). The last point from which the Tea Party and the Midterm elections are to be viewed from is the opposition of the weak and the strong federation government, which triggered the appearance of the strict interpretation of the Constitution described above. In the times when the government could not suggest strong support for the state and the security of the nation, the strict interpretation of the Constitution would not allow the state to collapse, keeping it together. This situation has been described by numerous authors, and has left a significant trace in the history of the United States: The idea that the Constitution should be supreme in certain matters stem med from widespread dissatisfaction with the weak federal government that has existed previously under the articles of Confederation adopted in 1781. (Schmidt 2009, 530). It must be also kept in mind that the Federal government could not perform all its duties because of the fact that it was shaken to the core with the crisis which was reigning in those times. The very idea that the situation can occur once again must have made the necessary impression on the current American government so that it could allow the Republican Party to be elected and their principles of conducting the political matters should come into force. Although the crisis has been prevented for so many times and the danger was avoided, the American government still remembers the days when the country was extremely weak and could not engage itself either in politics, or economics. The abovementioned meant that the country was lying in the ashes, and only miracle could save it from complete collapse. Since such mi racle occurred, nowadays the governmental bodies are doing their best to prevent such things from happening. Barak Obama and the Cabinet are claiming that they are going to undertake every measure possible in order to take the country to the top of the political and economical flourishing. Still the policy of Obama needs certain corrections, which the new Cabinet is going to provide soon. Since the president and the parliament display an explicit divergence of opinions, three must be a long way ahead for the home and foreign policy improvement, as well as the solution of the current economical problems. It must be well understood that the new laws and amendments to the Constitution are supposed to be aimed at improvements, for the country needs them now as much as ever. With regard to the current to the existing government it should be mentioned that they have already undertaken the steps to take the country to the top of the economic area. The midterm elections which have been rece ntly carried out will help the country head for the changes which will improve the existing state of affairs. As Watts (2010) said, Midterm elections offer a chance to assess the mood of the country and the president’s chance of re-election. They can inspire or demoralize the person in the White House or his would-be challengers. They can be particularly significant during some presidencies. In November 1994, the Republican scored a convincing victory, capturing both chambers of Congress for the first time of so many years and thereby dealing a blow to the future legislative and other prospects of the Clinton presidency. (195) Thus, it would be logical to suggest that the new state of affairs which the midterm elections have set will result in numerous benefits for the country. The improvements are bound to happen soon, since the changes which the Republicans will bring are going to be centered on enhancing the state’s security and economic stability. Although it is im possible to predict for sure now what processes exactly the new policy will trigger, it can be supposed with sufficient certainty that the new government will focus on the national production and will contribute to the development of the country’s economics in order to represent the products in the world market. Otherwise, there will be very little chance for the USA to remain the world leader in economics and trade. Therefore, it is very important for the United States to maintain the process of the economical growth and avoid being misled on the way to the economic hegemony. Reference List Adkins, Randall E. 2010. Cases in Congressional Campaigns: Incumbents  Playing Defense. New York, NY: Taylor and Francis Randall Adkins, a man of great influence in the political and literature circles in the modern world, suggests in his book his own version of what has happened during the midterm elections in 2008 and provides a deep analysis of the current political situation in the United States. He also makes a prognosis concerning the winner of the on-coming elections and gives a deep insight on the main problems which the government may face afterwards. His idea of the midterm elections is that they should be aimed at improving the current political and economical situation, providing stability in the abovementioned spheres and creating the grounds for the future improvements made for the benefit of the country and its citizens. Amos A. G. 2010. American Revolution 2010: A Tea Party: Patriot’s Call to  Arms. Indianapolis, IN: Dog Ear Publishing. Amos suggests a deep analysis of the movement called A Tea Party and considers its further influence on the country and the political stability. He explains where the given movement roots from and clarifies the multiple issues which the Tea Party covers. In spite of the controversy of the topic, Amos manages to give a precise definition of what the Tea party is and what has caused it to emerge. The author d escribes the main events which the Tea Party has triggered and the steps that have been undertaken by its representatives to make changes to the United States and the political structure of the USA. Explaining the factors which underlie the movement, Amos also provides a fair evaluation of the benefits which the party has brought to the country as well as the losses which the party has caused. A deep and thoughtful analysis adds to the overall impression of the book. Court, Jamie. 2010 The Progressive’s Guide to Raise Hell: How to Win  Grassroots Campaign, Pass Ballot Box Laws, and Get the Change We  Voted for – a Direct Democracy Toolkit. White River Jct., VT: Chelsea Green Publishing. A prolific writer and a perfect analytical thinker, Jamie Court helps the readers to understand the processes that have been going on for a long time in the sphere of politics, namely among the Democrats. With genuine humor and sincerity the author explores the difficult relationshi ps within the parliament and among its members, helping the audience to see what is really going on in the sphere of political life of the United States government. Instead of presenting the facts in a dry and boring way, Court makes his audience feel the very essence of the political atmosphere in the U. S. government. The writer depicts the political structure of the country in the most open and clear way, making people feel as if they had seen the processes described on their own. Hirsch, Jeffrey A., Hirsch, Yale. 2009. Stock Trader’s Almanac 2010. New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons. In spite of the fact that statistics is one of the spheres where most people start feeling uncertain and unsure, Jeffrey Hirsch provides the statistic data in the most precise way. He observes the events in the political life of the United States to make the rest of the people, who do not belong to the governmental structures, see the reports about the most important political and economical ev ents in the country. The graphs which he draws and the schemes depicting the increase or the decrease in a particular sphere of political life of the American society, he does the work of an utter importance. Thus, the statistic records which he has provided his audience with as for the past decade were of extreme importance for the given work, for they made it possible to observe the situation in the economical and political life in the USA with great accuracy. The results of the midterm elections in 2008 and the prognoses for the 2010 were deep and thorough. Rodriguez, A. 2010. Revisioning Diversity in Communication Studies. Leicester: Troubadour Publishing. A man of much influence in the sphere of political life, Rodriguez helps the readers to clarify several issues concerning the different interpretations of the Constitution which have caused a lot of quarrels in the Parliament. The writer gives a deep and precise analysis of the events which have triggered the split in the Parl iament and the reasons for a different understanding of the Constitution by some of the members of parliament. It is impossible to say that Rodriguez supports any of the parties. He gives a precise description of each of the parties, as well as provides the reasons for them to adhere t this very line of conduct, yet the writer stays cool-blooded and does not tend to support any of the opinions suggested. Schmidt, S. W., et al. 2009. American Government and Politics Today. –  Texas Edition, 2009-2010. Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning. A prolific modern writer, Schmidt has created a work which can be counted for something that the mankind will value for years. A just and fair analysis of the current political situation in the United States is what the author performs in his book. Giving precise characteristics of each and every event concerning the on-coming midterm elections, the author gives a precise characteristic of the processes in the parliament of the United States, as well as the relationship between the members of the parties and the infrastructure of the U. S. government in general. Shedding the light on the most recent events in the political life of the USA, he makes ordinary people see what is going on in the governmental structure and understand the reasons, the prerequisites and the probable results of the events in question. Shultz, D. 2005. Encyclopedia of the Supreme Court. New York, NY: Infobase Publishing. Shultz is a person who can provide the population with the most precise and certain data on the Supreme Court of the United States. Every single bit of information about the above-mentioned establishment will not pass unnoticed by this encyclopedia. Shultz has gathered all the events which have occurred so far in the Supreme Court and has suggested the work of his to the audience. He has unlocked a lot of secrets of the processes which happen in the Supreme Court and has explained the principles on which the Court’s work is b ased. Making the situation even clearer, the author suggests a look on the Constitution and the way it has been considered through the history of the Supreme Court. Clarifying some issues on the split in reading the ideas of the Constitution, he makes the readers see what has been untold for several years running. Vile, J. R. 2010. A Companion to the United States Constitution and Its  Amendments. Santa-Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. Vile is the person who can tell literally everything concerning the USA Constitution and its interpretations through years. He explains numerous things which have been unknown by the ordinary people for quite long and explains the clue issues about the amendments which have been applied to the Constitution. Also considering the results which have been triggered by the above-mentioned amendments, Vile delivers to the readers completely new information and helps them to see the answers to the multiple questions which may arise as they get acquainted with the id eas of the amendments which have been undertaken by the government. What Vile does is providing the link between the government and the citizens of the country, for the latter to be aware of the political changes that occur in the country. Watts, Duncan. 2010. Dictionary of American Government and Politics. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. A great politician and a great writer, Watts has suggested a new book to his audience. With his book, Watts has created the missing link between the government and the population, which is supposed to help to solve several problems which have been brewing for long time between the two. Watts has created a sphere of human’s life where people and the government can find a common language. He has explored the issue of the midterm elections and has suggested several predictions on what will follow the midterm elections in 2010, as well as has suggested his ideas about who is going to win in the elections. A genuine style of his allows Wat ts to write about politics in such a way so that every single person could be interested in the suggested object for discussion. His book has helped to discover several important features of the election process in the USA. 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